7 senior scams and how to combat them

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Do you have aging family members or friends? According to a MetLife survey, crimes against the elderly skyrocketed in the last year. Seniors lost $3 billion to fraudsters through home repair scams, investment scams, and other pitfalls.

Con artists are particularly fond of elderly widows. The scam is to find those who may be lonely or infirm, and slowly shower them with attention and small gifts in order to gain their confidence.

I’ve heard of one con man who began befriending an older woman when she simply asked him for directions. By the time he was done, she had given him Power of Attorney over her funds, and he steadily looted her over time for $180,000!

Here’s your assignment: If you have elderly friends or relatives, you need to stay involved in their lives. Be nosy! Visit them. To someone who is a shut in, just your presence brings them joy. It may seem dull at times, but never forget, someday you will be in those shoes.

Do you have siblings? Some families find it’s a good plan to divide up responsibilities when you have elderly parents — one kid takes them shopping, another entertains them, and a third handles money issues. Regardless of how it’s handled, be aware and be present in the financial lives of your elders.

That can mean being a second signature on a checkbook, or an authorized person on a checking account. Know about the investments they have. Remember, be nosy! You don’t want to find out your parents are destitute because you were looking the other way.

Your parents were there to raise you. It’s time for you to pay them back.

1. Lottery scam

With the lottery scams, a senior’s savings are not eroded all at once. Once they take the bait initially and send some money in, they’re put on the sucker list. That marks them to receive future calls or solicitations about other alleged lottery winnings. It’s known as a ‘reload scam,’ and it can play out in areas other than just fake lottery winnings.

My mother even fell victim to a reload scam involving phony charities about a decade ago. After her initial misjudgment in giving a bogus charity some money, she started receiving literally hundreds of solicitations from others in the mail every week.

SOLUTION: In my family, we are 4 siblings with a 90-year-old mom who has dementia. So we’ve divided up duties. As you might expect, I handle money stuff for her. Have you set up a plan like this in your family? You’ve got to be ready to parcel out duties among family as a parent’s capacity diminishes.

2. Grandparent scam

Scamster: (in a low tone) Grandma?
Senior: Is that you, Jimmy?Scamster: Yes, it’s me and I’m in trouble. I’m in jail. I need you to wire money so I can get out.

The typical take on this scam is anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000. There’s even a ‘reload’ on this one. If the scamster gets money, they’ll have another person call up impersonating a police officer and ask for additional funds in order for their grandchild to be released. They claim there are extra charges for property damage. Once the money is taken, you’ll never see it again.

SOLUTION: Never give out personal info over the phone or send money to unknown sources through a wire service.

3. Cash fraud

PROBLEM: Our loved ones in nursing homes generally have house account money in their name. The homes have a fiduciary duty to use it if your loved ones need a prescription filled or whatever it is that would otherwise be unreimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid.

This is a fast-growing problem. Over the last 3 years, 1,500 nursing homes around the country (out of 16,000) have been cited for failing to protect trust funds from theft. That means 1 out 10 elders could be impacted by this. Meanwhile, there have only been 100+ prosecutions of the perpetrators. So this is a crime generally without punishment.

SOLUTION: If you are an adult child of a parent in a facility, you need to follow the money. Check their personal needs account frequently to make sure the money is properly accounted for and none of it is missing.

4. Technology scam

The phonies offer a free security check over the phone in an effort to get you to give them remote access to your computer for a supposed diagnosis and fix. Once they have remote access, they will download software to your computer that basically allows them to steal money from your accounts.

A Microsoft survey conducted in the English-speaking world (this is not just limited to the United States) found that 15% of people have gotten a call from these scammers at one time or another.

Eight in 10 of those who allowed remote access of their computers had money stolen. One in five became identity theft victims. Finally, more than half of all people who allowed remote access got hit with viruses that fouled up their computers. Very often, the cost of repair was greater than the money stolen.

SOLUTION: Microsoft offers a few recommendations to stay out of harm’s way. First, be suspicious of unsolicited calls from supposed computer security experts. Second, don’t visit any sites or install software recommended by unsolicited callers.

5. Timeshare scam

The crooks typically ask for money upfront for advertising, title searches, and other administrative fees. You may even be told you’ll get your money back if your timeshare isn’t sold in 90 days. That’s a big, fat lie. You won’t get anything back except a lighter wallet.

SOLUTION: Here’s the real truth. Anyone promising you more than a few pennies on the dollar of what you paid is lying. Remember, salespeople should receive commissions at the time of the sale, not a second before.

These con men usually have some level of handyman skills and will start the relationship by offering to do a benign job such as gutter cleaning. But after they finish that job, they’ll find other imaginary problems — such as a roof or chimney repair — and convince seniors to fork over thousands of dollars.

Woodchucks also love to target people who have failing memories. In some of their most disgusting offenses, they’ll even drive old women to banks and get them to cash bogus checks before disappearing with the funds.

Police expect the woodchuck phenomenon to worsen. After all, we’re an aging population and we no longer live geographically close to our families as we did a few generations ago.

SOLUTION: Pick up the phone and call your aging relatives — or go visit them — to make sure they’re not falling prey to woodchucks. Be nosy if you’re worried that their money may be in danger. With a parent, there’ll be a natural inclination for them to not want to talk to you about money. But you’ve got to be pushy.

7. Medical scam

PROBLEM:Scamsters have targeted seniors for numerous rip-offs surrounding the Affordable Care Act. Here’s a look at Obamacare scams to watch out for. Many are operating by door-to-door and phone solicitation, according to The New York Times.

BONUS: Funds/Securities financial exploitation

PROBLEM: The investment accounts of seniors are being targeted at an alarming rate. For the longest time, brokers were required to execute transactions even if they believed a senior may be being taken advantage of.

SOLUTION: After piecemeal efforts in 3 states, FINRA is considering new rules that would allow brokerages across the 50 states to put a stop when they feel an older investor is about to get cleaned out by crooks.

Clark Howard is a consumer expert whose goal is to help you keep more of the money you make. His national radio show and website show you ways to put more money in your pocket, with advice you can trust. More about Clark